Koh Samui is the built-up one: the airport, the malls, the resort strips. Koh Tao is the small one. The two hours of water between them is where that shift actually happens.
Koh Samui to Koh Tao is a straightforward high-speed catamaran crossing, and it’s the route most people take either after flying into Samui or after spending a few days there first. This guide goes deep on the part that trips people up (which pier, which sailing, what the crossing is actually like) rather than just summarising it as one line in a bigger itinerary. For the full picture of every route to the island, start with our complete Koh Tao guide.
If you’re only passing through Samui on your way to Koh Tao, skip to the timetable and the pier warning below. If you’re weighing up spending real time on Samui first, there’s a short section further down on doing a week on each island.
Koh Samui to Koh Tao takes about two hours by high-speed catamaran. Three operators run the route (Lomprayah, Boonsiri, and Songserm) with fares from around 600 THB (Songserm, the budget option) up to about 740 THB (Lomprayah). The catch: each operator uses its own pier on Koh Samui, and Lomprayah alone splits across two depending on the sailing. Check your ticket before you leave. Book at least a day ahead in high season.
Table of Contents
The Route at a Glance
Lomprayah is the main operator on the Koh Samui to Koh Tao route and the one we point guests towards first: high-speed catamarans, the most sailings a day, and fares that run roughly 550 to 740 THB depending on the sailing. Boonsiri and Songserm both run their own competing services (Boonsiri a faster mid-priced crossing, Songserm the budget slow boat), and prices across all three operators span from roughly 600 THB up to 740 THB depending on operator and how far ahead you book.
| Operator | Boat & Speed | Typical Duration | Price From | Samui Pier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lomprayah | High-speed catamaran | ~1h30 to 2h+ (sailing-dependent) | ~550 to 740 THB | Pralarn Pier (Maenam) or Nathon Pier: confirm on your ticket |
| Boonsiri | Fast ferry | ~1h50 (08:00 to 09:50) | ~700 THB | Bangrak Pier |
| Songserm | Budget slow boat | ~3h45 (10:30 to 14:15) | ~600 THB (cheapest on the route) | Nathon Pier |
Prices above are at the time of writing (July 2026), and all three operators arrive at the same place: Mae Haad Pier, on Koh Tao’s west coast.
Notice the duration range on Lomprayah alone: 1 hour 30 minutes on the shortest sailing, over 3 hours on the longest. That’s not a typo. Different departures take different routings, some calling briefly at Koh Phangan on the way, which is exactly why the timetable below matters more than a single “it’s a 2-hour ferry” headline figure.
Lomprayah Timetable: Koh Samui to Koh Tao
At the time of writing (July 2026), Lomprayah runs six sailings a day between Koh Samui and Koh Tao, each priced at 738 THB. The spread of durations below reflects different routings (some sailings run closer to a direct line, others build in a Koh Phangan stop), so it’s worth picking your departure based on how much of the day you want to spend on the water, not just the fare.
| Departs | Arrives | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | 10:00 | 2h | 738 THB |
| 10:30 | 12:15 | 1h45 | 738 THB |
| 11:30 | 14:15 | 2h45 | 738 THB |
| 12:30 | 14:30 | 2h | 738 THB |
| 14:30 | 17:45 | 3h15 | 738 THB |
| 15:30 | 17:00 | 1h30 | 738 THB |
These times are accurate at the time of writing (July 2026), but ferry schedules on this route change constantly. Before you plan around any departure above, check the live timetable and book on 12Go so your seat and sailing are locked in. The 15:30 departure is the fastest on paper at 1 hour 30 minutes, while the 14:30 sailing is the slowest at just over three hours; if you’ve got a same-day onward connection from Koh Tao, that difference is worth planning around.
The Pier Trap
This is the single most common way people miss their boat on this route, and it has nothing to do with traffic or timing. Koh Samui has several piers serving Koh Tao ferries, and each operator sticks to its own: Lomprayah splits across two, Pralarn Pier (Maenam) and Nathon Pier, depending on the specific sailing, Boonsiri departs from Bangrak Pier, and Songserm departs from Nathon Pier on a different schedule to Lomprayah’s Nathon sailings. Book the 08:00 Lomprayah and you might be departing from a different pier than the person booking the 14:30. Neither pier is wrong; they’re just different, and turning up at the one you assumed rather than the one printed on your ticket is a genuinely common way to watch your boat leave without you.
The Rule That Actually Matters Here
Your ticket names your pier: not the operator, not the general area of the island, your specific ticket. Check it when you book, check it again the morning of, and build in taxi buffer time in case the address on your booking confirmation doesn’t match where your driver first heads. The full mapping, at the time of writing (July 2026): Lomprayah uses Pralarn Pier (Maenam) or Nathon Pier depending on the sailing, Boonsiri uses Bangrak Pier, and Songserm uses Nathon Pier. Read the operator and pier name off your own ticket before you rely on any of it.
None of this is a reason to avoid the route. It’s a five-second check that prevents a genuinely bad morning. Read the pier name on your booking confirmation out loud to your taxi driver before you leave your hotel, not after you arrive somewhere that looks vaguely pier-shaped.
Getting to the Pier
Taxi fares to Samui’s piers vary a lot depending on where you’re staying and who you flag down, and there’s no honest flat number we’d put here. Grab is usually the cheapest way to get there, and it gives you a fixed price before you commit, which matters when you’re already thinking about pier names and sailing times. Book it, don’t negotiate at the kerb.
Build in more buffer than feels necessary. Samui traffic near the airport and the main resort strips can be unpredictable at the exact hours people tend to be heading for a morning or midday ferry, and check-in at the pier itself takes time on busy sailings. Arriving an hour ahead of a 738 THB ferry costs you nothing; missing it because you cut it to fifteen minutes costs you the whole day.
Booking: 12Go vs Walk-Up
Honest version: in low season, walking up to the pier counter and buying a ticket for the next sailing works fine most of the time. Seats aren’t guaranteed, but they’re rarely all gone either. In high season, that changes: popular sailings sell out, and turning up without a ticket means waiting for the next available departure, which might be hours later depending on the pier trap above.
Booking ahead through 12Go removes the guesswork: you pick your operator, your sailing time, and you can see which pier that specific departure uses before you commit, which solves the pier trap and the sold-out-seat problem in one step. It costs nothing extra over a walk-up fare and takes a few minutes on your phone.
Our rule of thumb: low season, book the morning of if you want flexibility. High season, or if you have a tight onward connection on Koh Tao, book at least a day ahead.
The Crossing
Most days, the Koh Samui to Koh Tao crossing is a smooth, unremarkable two hours. Some sailings dip briefly into Koh Phangan on the way, which breaks up the open water and gives you something to look at besides the horizon. Occasionally, usually when the wind picks up, it gets rougher, and the catamaran’s speed means it takes chop more noticeably than a slower, heavier boat would.
If You Get Seasick
Take a seasickness pill about 30 minutes before departure. Don’t wait until you’re already on the water. Skip a heavy meal in the 3 hours before boarding, and cut caffeine if you can. Once on board, sit towards the rear of the boat and keep your eyes on the horizon rather than a phone screen. It sounds basic, but all four of these together make a real difference on a choppy crossing.
Worth the extra 200 THB on Lomprayah: the VIP cabin. Fewer people, better seats, and on a rough day it’s a noticeably more comfortable way to spend the crossing than the standard cabin.
Flying into Samui First
If you’re coming from Bangkok, flying into Koh Samui and connecting to this ferry is the fastest door-to-door route to Koh Tao: around four hours all in, versus the longer overland-plus-ferry combinations through Surat Thani or Chumphon. The trade-off is cost: Bangkok Airways holds a monopoly on the Samui route, and fares typically run about four times what you’d pay flying into Surat Thani or Chumphon instead.
Whether that trade-off is worth it depends on how much your time is worth versus your budget. For the full comparison of every mainland and island gateway (Bangkok bus and train combos, Surat Thani, Chumphon, and this Samui route side by side), see our complete how to get to Koh Tao guide.
Landing on Koh Tao Tonight?
Message reception before you board and we’ll have a bed waiting when your ferry gets in, no need to arrive with a plan already sorted.
Check AvailabilityArriving at Mae Haad
Every Koh Samui to Koh Tao ferry ends at the same place: Mae Haad Pier, on the island’s west coast. Step off and you’ll get a short burst of taxi drivers, dive shop touts, and scooter rental staff all converging at once. It looks chaotic for about five minutes and then thins out completely once you’re past the pier gates.
Three scooter rental shops sit within walking distance of the pier (RPM, A&T, and Olis), all a sensible first stop if you’re planning to get around the island yourself. From there, Wonderland sits in Chalok, about 5 minutes away by scooter. If you’d rather not ride straight off a ferry, message reception ahead of time and we’ll sort a taxi pickup instead.
Samui or Koh Tao: or Both?
Plenty of travellers treat this ferry as a one-way handoff rather than a return trip: a few days on Samui first for the airport, the resorts, and the bigger nightlife, then across to Koh Tao to slow down. If that split appeals, a week on each island is a reasonable way to do it: Samui for the arrival logistics and a bit of comfort, Koh Tao for the part where you actually unwind. For the honest comparison of what each island is actually like day to day, see our Koh Samui vs Koh Tao guide.
If you’re weighing Koh Tao against a different island entirely rather than Samui, our Koh Tao vs Koh Phangan comparison covers that pairing in the same amount of detail.
Koh Samui to Koh Tao: FAQ
Around two hours on the Lomprayah high-speed catamaran, though the exact duration depends on the sailing: at the time of writing (July 2026), Lomprayah’s six daily departures range from 1 hour 30 minutes up to 3 hours 15 minutes, because some routings stop briefly at Koh Phangan and others don’t.
Lomprayah’s standard fare is 738 THB one-way. Across the three operators running this route, prices range from about 600 THB (Songserm, the cheapest) up to around 740 THB (Lomprayah), with Boonsiri roughly 700 THB in between. Booking early or in low season sometimes gets you a discounted end of that range.
It depends on your specific ticket. Lomprayah uses Pralarn Pier (Maenam) or Nathon Pier depending on the sailing, Boonsiri departs from Bangrak Pier, and Songserm also departs from Nathon Pier but on its own schedule. Always check the pier printed on your booking confirmation. Don’t assume based on a previous trip or a friend’s experience, since it varies by departure and operator.
Technically yes. Catch the 08:00 Lomprayah sailing and there are later departures back the same day. Honestly, though, most people don’t do it this way. Between the crossing time each direction and getting properly on and off two piers, a day trip leaves you with only a few hours actually on Koh Tao. Most travellers who make the crossing stay at least a couple of nights.
Usually it’s smooth. Occasionally, when the wind’s up, it gets rougher, and the catamaran’s speed means it takes chop more noticeably than a slower boat. If you’re prone to seasickness, take a pill 30 minutes before departure, avoid a heavy meal in the 3 hours beforehand, sit towards the rear, and keep your eyes on the horizon.
In low season, walking up to the pier usually works. In high season, popular sailings sell out, so booking at least a day ahead through 12Go is the safer move: it also lets you confirm which pier your specific sailing uses before you commit.
The Last Leg
Two hours is a short crossing, but it’s the one that actually changes the pace of your trip. Whatever Koh Samui was (the airport rush, the resort strip, the traffic), it’s behind you by the time Koh Tao comes into view. Get the pier right, get a seat booked if it’s high season, and the rest takes care of itself.
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Keep Reading
The Complete Koh Tao Guide (hub)→ How to Get to Koh Tao: every route compared, Bangkok to the islands→ Koh Samui vs Koh Tao: which island suits your trip→ Koh Tao vs Koh Phangan: the honest comparison→ Koh Tao Budget Guide: what everything actually costs once you land→ Where to Stay in Koh Tao: area-by-area breakdown→ Koh Tao Scooter Rental: honest advice on renting safely from the pier→ Koh Tao to Bangkok: heading back through the capital? Every route compared→ Snorkelling in Koh Tao: best spots & tips→
